Recollections of the Days Gone By
by Kathryn4
Summary: “When I woke up that morning, I thought it would be like any other day. I was wrong. That was the day Rory Gilmore entered my life.” – Fate brought her to him. Now it was up to him to keep fate from taking her away.
1. Prologue- Reconciliation and Reminiscenc...

**Author:** Kathryn

**Spoilers:** Everything up to 'Run Away Little Boy'

**Pairing:** Rory and Tristan

**Author's Note:** Not a very original idea for a story.  Basically what happens is that Tristan tells his daughter the story of how he met Rory.  The first ten chapters are what happened in the episodes with Tristan in them.  Thanks to Gilmore-girls.net for the transcript.

**Disclaimer:** Gilmore Girls does not belong to me.  If it did, things would be a lot different between Rory and Tristan.  Oh, the idea about Lori's essay was also borrowed from My Girl 2.

*          *          *

"Dad?"

Tristan DuGrey raised his head from his newspaper and looked over at his sixteen-year-old daughter who had just entered his study.  "Yes, Lori?"

Lorelai 'Lori' DuGrey cleared her throat nervously before speaking again. She'd decided that before having this conversation with her father, she'd keep it together.  "Uh… today at Chilton we were given an assignment," she began.  She wanted to smack herself.  _Nice one Lori_, she thought.  _Stating the obvious.  Yeah, you're looking really composed now._

"Hmm."  Tristan raised his eyebrows, urging his daughter to go on.

Lori took a deep breath and tried again.  "We're, uh, supposed to write an essay on a person we admire but we've never met."  She paused, debating whether or not to continue.  She quickly decided that she had to get this out.  "I decided to do it on… mom."

The silence was deafening.  Lori was starting to regret her decision.  _I knew I shouldn't have told him_, she thought angrily.  _Why couldn't I just be normal and do an essay on a movie star?_

"Lorelai DuGrey, I'm surprised at you.  I would have thought you had the decency not to hit on such a sensitive topic."  Tristan scowled angrily and hid his face behind his newspaper, wanting all thoughts of his late wife out of his head.

Lori was about to apologize when she realized she had no reason to.  Instead she got angry.  "No, I'm surprised at you!" she yelled.  "I have every right to know about her.  She was my mother.  I know you loved her and I know that it hurts you talk about her, but listen."  She paused to catch her breath before continuing.  "You have never told me a thing about her.  Everything I know about mom I've heard from Lorelai and mom's old friends, never from you."  Tears started to form in her eyes.  "I have lived my entire life without a mother and you act like I don't exist.  So don't give me this crap about me having no decency.  Take a look at the mirror when you say things like that."

Tristan stared hard at his daughter before lifting the paper back up towards his face.  "Go to your room, Lorelai," he said, an angry waver in his voice.  "I don't want to see you at the moment."

Lori stormed out of her father's study and up to her bedroom.  Once there, she'd realized what she'd done and buried her head in her hands.  "Oh no," she groaned.  She'd known her father wasn't very good in dealing with emotions and she'd gone in there and yelled at him about a very delicate subject.

A few hours later, she crawled into bed and settled with a book that would help her fall asleep.  After reading a few pages, a knock was heard.  Figuring it was one of the maids, Lori hopped out of bed and unlocked the door.  A look of surprise came over her face as she stared at the person on the other side of the threshold.  "Dad, what are you doing here?"

The elder DuGrey rubbed his hands together and sighed.  He opened his mouth to say something but seemed to change his mind.  Instead, he looked at her attire and her unmade bed.  "Going to sleep so early?" he inquired.  "Today is Friday, isn't it?"

Lori rolled her eyes.  "Cut the crap, dad, what do you want?" she asked sharply.  She knew she should've apologized but she was still angry.

Her father sighed again.  "Can I come in, Lori?"

She moved aside and let him enter her room.  Lori flopped on her bed, while Tristan hovered uncomfortably near her leather couch.  "Sit down, dad," she told him.  "What did you want?"

Tristan lifted his dark cerulean eyes to meet Lori's clear, sapphire ones.  _She looks so much like her mother_, he thought wistfully.  Aside from her dark-blond hair, Lori looked like an exact replica of the sixteen-year-old Rory Gilmore.

"Dad?"  Lori's voice cut into his thoughts and he was jolted out of his reverie.

"Listen, dad," Lori started.  "About before, I'm sorry about what I said.  I didn't mean that you were a bad father, I just-"

Tristan shook his head.  "No, Lori, I'm sorry."  He chuckled slightly at the surprised look on his daughter's face.  "I shouldn't try to shut you out of my life."  He paused.  "I always promised to myself that I'd never become like my father.  I swore that I would never ignore my kids.  But when you're mom died, I didn't know how to act.  Rory was always there to guide me through the steps of parenting that I never experienced and I thought she always would be."  He stopped again and ran a hand through his hair.  "I hope you understand Lori that the reason I've raised you like I have is only because I was following my father.  I didn't have any other role model and I'm sorry."

Lori blinked at her father's confession.  "Dad, it wasn't your fault."

"I should've at least tried to make up for the fact that you didn't have a mother.  But I didn't and I hope you'll give me another chance to be a real father," Tristan finished off.

Lori bit her lip.  "Of course," she choked out.  "I love you dad."

Tristan smiled.  "I love you to Lori."

_Most families would've shared a hug when they finished a heart-to-heart talk, _Tristan mused.  _But not the DuGrey's.  No, we are defiantly a unique family._  He started to get up from the couch when Lori spoke again.

"Dad, seeing as though we're 'bonding' now, I'd like you're help on my essay," Lori said.

Tristan headed over to his daughter's side and kissed her forehead.  "Sure," he agreed.  "I think I'm ready to talk about your mom.  What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Lori said eagerly.  "How you guys met, how you started dating, when you proposed… everything."  She watched as her father got a faraway look in his eyes.

"Well, it all started during my sophomore year at Chilton.  When I woke up that morning I thought that day would be like any other day.  I was wrong.  That was the day that Rory Gilmore entered my life…"


	2. Just Another Conquest

Tristan DuGrey rolled out of bed a little later than usual that day.  School started at 8:05 sharp and the clock on Tristan's desk read 8:25.  He had an excuse though.  His grandfather was feeling a bit sick lately and Tristan was spending most of his spare time helping him around.  He had slept in and decided to use his grandfather's illness as an explanation.

By the time he'd gotten into the halls of Chilton Prep, second period had already started so Tristan made his way over to Mr Remmy's classroom and opened the door quietly.

"… turn to David Copperfield for inspiration."  The teacher stopped his lecture for a few seconds and turned his head when he saw Tristan enter the room.  "Ah, Mr DuGrey."

"Sir," Tristan replied curtly.  He handed the teacher his late pass.

Mr Remmy accepted the note and tossed it onto his desk.  "Nice to have you back.  I hope you're grandfather is feeling better."

"Much better sir," Tristan said before rolling his eyes when the teacher turned his back.

"Good.  Take your seat please."  He continued on with his talk, most of the students sighing deeply before paying attention.

Tristan was heading over to his usual place on the back row when he noticed a girl he'd never seen before.  He gave her a once over, not missing the look of uneasiness on her face, before giving her his trademark smirk and strolling over to his desk.

"Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Little Dorrit, all major influences on Leo Tolstoy."  Remmy continued to babble on but Tristan blocked out his voice, only catching a few sentences here and there.  He leaned forward to talk to his friend, Sean, who was sitting in front of him.  "Who's that?" he hissed, referring to the girl he'd seen earlier.

"New girl," Sean replied.

The bell rang suddenly.  The teacher stopped jabbering and dismissed the class.

The people around Tristan were gathering their belongings but he leaned back in his seat, examining the new girl.  "Looks like we got ourselves a Mary."

*          *          *

After that class, Tristan hovered around the hallway, waiting for the new girl to exit the classroom after her talk with Remmy.  He'd found out quite a bit about her.  Her name was Lorelai Gilmore but she went by Rory.  Tristan's suspicions were right when he'd thought she looked like a Mary.  She could be another one to add to his list of conquests.  He watched her as she had a fallout with Paris Geller and then quickly chased after her as she headed down the hall.

"Hey Mary," Tristan greeted her, sauntering by her side as the two walked down the hall.

The girl stopped.  "Me?" she asked.

"Yeah, you," Tristan said, deciding to humour her.

"My name is Rory," she corrected him, shaking her light-brown hair away from her face.

"I'm Tristan."  He paused.  "So, you new?"

Rory nodded.  "Yeah, first day," she replied.

"Remmy's class is rough," Tristan went on.  "I could loan you my notes if that would help."

Rory smiled.  "Really?  That would be great."

Tristan smirked and walked forward, forcing Rory to back against a wall.  "Yeah, how great?"

"I don't know," Rory said, looking uncomfortable under his gaze.  "Mr Remmy said that getting someone's notes would be…"

Tristan interrupted.  "I could even help you study.  If you want."  He ran his tongue over his bottom lip.

"Uh, I kind of view studying as a solitary activity, but thanks," Rory said, a spark in her eyes.

Tristan finally moved away, giving her some space to breathe.  "Bye Mary."  He took a last look at her and started down the hall.  Behind him he could hear a soft, "It's Rory."  He smirked.  This was going to be interesting.

*          *          *

Tristan rolled his eyes as he headed down to Mrs Ness' eighth period History class.  He hated history.  The past was in the past and it was going to stay there.  No point in worrying about it.

His mind wondered back on a certain brunette.  Throughout the course of the day, Tristan's opinion had changed about her.  Granted, she still looked like a Mary and she did act like one, but she wasn't the shy little girl he'd expected her to be.  Rory spoke up in class and defended herself when things were bearing down on her.  She was full of ideas and was obviously intelligent.

Tristan entered his classroom and his eyes gleamed in satisfaction when he saw her taking a seat in the middle row.  He headed over and took the seat behind her.  "Hey Mary," he said when he'd set down his books.

Before Rory had a chance to respond, Ness had entered the room and immediately started the lesson.  "Ok, We left our projects off on Friday with Mr. Gaynor. So today we will pick up with Miss Geller."

Tristan leaned back in his seat and flickered his eyes over to Paris.  He'd seen her in the library working on her project, and the castle she'd made was impressive.  It took him a moment to realise that the model was nowhere to be found in the room.

Paris stood up.  "I don't have my project," she announced dully.

Mrs Ness raised her eyebrows.  "Miss Geller… did you have sufficient time to complete your project?"

"Yes."

"And yet you don't have it done?" the teacher went on.

"No," Paris replied, managing to keep her tone calm.

Mrs Ness sighed.  "You will receive an incomplete on the project," she said, making a mark in her notes.

Tristan was about to doze off when he heard another voice cut into the conversation.

"It's my fault."

Tristan raised his eyes.  Rory Gilmore had gotten up from her seat to accept responsibility for wrecking Paris' project.  _That is one brave girl,_ he thought to himself as the two girls argued about the project.  No one else he knew would have the guts to stand up to Paris on their first day.

After that ordeal was through, he watched in amusement as Rory was formally introduced to the class.  There were mumblings of "Hello Rory," and a "Hello, Mary," from himself.

When that period ended, Tristan waited until Rory was on her own to say goodbye.

"See you tomorrow Mary," he said, smirking over at her as he walked down the aisle.  And once again, he heard the mumbling of "The name is Rory."


	3. The Other Side of Mary

"…multiple choice with an essay section that will count for 20% of your grade for this semester. And don't be fooled by my kind face and charming personality. This test will be hard, and there will be no make-ups."

Tristan felt himself nod off slightly as Mr Medina talked them through what was on the Shakespeare test.  He wasn't really interested.  He could fail the stupid test for all he cared.

He glanced down at the paper in front of him.  Mr Medina had given back their essays at the beginning of the lesson.  Tristan had done all right, pulling of his paper with an A-.  It wasn't a bad grade.

The bell rang and Mr Medina dismissed the class.  As usual, Tristan stayed in seat, purposely trying to make himself the last student out of the classroom.

"Hard paper," he overheard Paris telling Louise Grant.

"Killer," Louise replied.  "I got an A though."

Paris smiled smugly.  "Me to.  What did you get Madeline?" she asked, turning to her brunette friend.

"You know I got a B," Madeline replied.

"Not bad," Louise appraised, tossing her blond hair over her shoulder.  "A grade to be proud of."

"Respectable," Paris commented.  She glanced snidely over at Rory's paper, which had a huge 'D' marked on it.  "A 'D' however, that would be a cause for concern."

"A cry for help," Louise chimed in.

Paris continued her taunting.  "A job application at McDonalds."

"Would you like fries with that?" Louise went on, a self-righteous note in her voice.

Madeline broke in looking confused.  "I have no idea what you two are talking about."

"No," Paris replied.  "But Rory does."  She looked snidely at the new girl before exiting the room, her two friends close behind.

When they had left, Tristan got out of his chair and headed over to where Rory was gathering her books.

"Hey Mary."

Rory rolled her eyes.  "And it just keeps getting better."

Tristan clucked his tongue in mock sympathy.  "You look sad.  Bad grade?"

"I have to go," Rory said, trying to push past him.

Tristan blocked her path.  "You know what, Mary, see I can't figure out why we're not friends. I think it's because I make you nervous."

Rory rolled her eyes again.  "I think it's because you can't learn my name," she replied.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"None of your business," Rory snapped, trying to push past him once again.

"Is that a no?" Tristan teased her.

Rory tried a different tactic.  "Is there no one else at this school you can bother?"

He ignored her question.  "See, I think you like me, you just don't know how to say it."  Tristan smirked at her.  "What are you doing Friday night?"

"I'm busy."

Tristan was getting pretty annoyed.  He'd never been turned down before.  "What, you got to be back at the convent by five?"

"Please leave me alone."

Tristan pretended to consider.  "Well," he said.  "Since you said please…"  He stepped aside to let her pass.  "Later Mary."

*          *          *

A week later, Tristan had no more excuses for getting to class late.  His grandfather was feeling well again and the older DuGrey had insisted that Tristan be prompt to school no matter the situation.

So that particular morning, Tristan awoke at seven a.m. feeling like a truck had just rolled over him.  His Shakespeare test was on today during first period and Tristan had to do reasonably well on it.  It was worth 20% of his grade and, although it didn't mean much to him, his grandfather was counting on him to do well and he hated to let the elderly man down.

When he arrived at Chilton, he scanned the grounds for Rory Gilmore.  Even though she hadn't fallen for his charms, Tristan was determined to win the game they, or rather he, was playing.

Just as Tristan was about to check the library for the new girl, the bell rang, signalling the beginning of classes.  He headed to his first period class and took his seat; ready for the test Mr Medina was about to throw at him.  He looked around, searching for Rory.  He frowned when he realised she wasn't in the room.

_That's funny_, he thought.  Tristan was sure that girls like her would never miss such an important test.  He looked up and saw Paris Geller entering the classroom, heading towards his direction.  He smirked.  Although he thought Paris was a little uptight for his taste, he enjoyed making her blush.  Tristan knew she'd had a crush on him since the fifth grade.

"Paris," he called, once she set her books down on her desk.  "Let's talk for a second."

Paris blushed and headed over.  "Sure, what about?"

Tristan smirked and was about to begin a conversation when Mr Medina entered the room.

"People, settle down, back to yours seats," he called.

The sounds of moving feet were heard for a few seconds and then there was silence.  Mr Medina began to hand out the tests, giving them the usual talk.

"The test will start at 8:10," he said, placing a test paper face down on each student's desk.  "Anyone caught cheating will receive two days suspension and a zero on their final grade."

Mr Medina looked up on the clock above the wall.  "Start now."

Tristan turned over his test paper and scanned the first page.  Around him, the other students were doing the same.  He picked up his pen and started to scribble down the answers to the questions he knew so well.  He was on question ten when the door opened.  Tristan stopped and looked up in surprise.  Nobody ever interrupted when the class was in the middle of an exam.  What surprised him even more was the person who had just entered.  Rory Gilmore.

"I'm sorry," were the first words out of her mouth.

The entire class stopped to watch how the latecomer would explain her tardiness.  The English Lit teacher noticed and snapped, "Everyone back to your tests.  Miss Gilmore, you're going to have to wait in the library."

"But what about the test?"

Mr Medina sighed.  "I'm sorry but you've missed the test."

"No," Rory protested.

The teacher tried to explain.  "We start class promptly at 8:05.  That's when I need people to be in their seats.  I'm sorry but it's the rules."

"But you don't understand," Rory exclaimed.  "I was up all night studying and then I missed my bus and had to drive-"

"Let's discuss this outside," Mr Medina went on.

Tristan watched in amusement as Rory told the teacher the story about being hit by a deer.

Max Medina looked helplessly at the ceiling for a moment.  "Okay, you have to calm down."

Rory didn't.  "I know his birthday and his mothers name and that kind of-" she went on but was interrupted.

"Loser," Paris whispered to Louise, who nodded in agreement.

Rory turned around, her eyes flashing in anger.  "And just what is wrong with you, huh?! You already have everything! You already have the grades and the status. What the hell is wrong with you that you have this constant need to be the biggest jerk in the entire world?!"

Paris stared at her.

"Okay, let's go," Mr Medina said, taking Rory gently by the arm.

Rory shrugged him off.  "Huh?! What?! What's up quippy?! Why so silent?" she said harshly.

"Outside- now," Mr Medina commanded.

She took a deep breath and started to walk towards the door, passing Tristan in the process.  He smirked as he watched her head towards the exit.  Rory turned around and headed back in his direction.

"And for the last time," she screamed.  "The name's RORY!"


	4. Sixteen

Tristan smirked in amusement as he glanced at the piece of paper he held in his hand.  Earlier that morning, his parents had thrust the same piece of paper in at him saying it was an obligation for him to attend.

"On Friday at 4:03 in the morning, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore III was born.  It would be an honour if you were to attend her sixteenth birthday party," he read out loud.  Tristan couldn't help snorting.  He'd only known Rory for two months but he'd never pictured her as the type to have parties like these.  He had a feeling that the entire sophomore class was invited, along with a few boring business associates.  They were all the same, these obligation parties.

He placed the invitation into his binder and started to get ready for school.  At least he'd have something new to torment Rory with today.

*          *          *

During lunch, Tristan broke away from his friends and strolled casually over to Rory's locker.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"What Tristan?" she asked wearily, placing some books in her locker and taking a few out.

Tristan shrugged.  "I just wanted to say happy birthday."

"It's not my birthday."

"No," Tristan replied slowly.  "But it will be."  He pulled out the invitation he had placed in his binder that morning.  "On Friday at 4:03 in the morning, Lorelai Leigh-"

Rory's eyes widened in shock.  "What is that?" she asked, snatching it off him.  "Who else got these?"

Tristan shrugged.  "I don't know.  Everyone in our class, I think."

"I have to go."  Rory pushed past him and walked hurriedly down the hall.

"I'll see you Friday, birthday girl," Tristan called after her.

*          *          *

On Friday night, Tristan stood staring at his closet for about ten minutes before deciding what to wear.  Normally, he couldn't care less about what he threw on but tonight was different.  He didn't know why, but he felt the need to take a bit more time to work on his appearance.

After twenty minutes, he'd chosen his suit, done his hair and was driving over to Richard and Emily Gilmore's estate.  Tristan was already late but he took his time.  He wanted to make his usual dramatic entrance.  He pulled up at the Gilmore's driveway and headed towards the front entrance.

As soon as he entered the front hall, the first person he saw was Rory, coming straight towards him.  "Oh, coming to greet me?"

"Hello, Tristan," she said, drawing his name out in an almost insulting manner.

"So, where's my birthday kiss?" he asked, moving closer to her.

Rory frowned.  "It's _my_ birthday."

Tristan smirked.  "So I'll give you a birthday kiss."

Rory regarded him in disgust.  "What is wrong with you?"

"Okay, I gotta tell you something," Tristan started obnoxiously.  "I'm madly in love with you."

"Well good luck with that."

Tristan went on.  "I can't eat, I can't sleep… I wake up in the middle of the night calling your name. Rory, Rory!"

Rory was beginning to get annoyed.  "Would you shut up, please?"

He was about to comment when he noticed Rory's grandfather heading towards them.

"Rory, who's your friend?" Richard Gilmore asked.

Rory rolled her eyes.  "I don't know, but this is Tristan."

Tristan put on his 'for-adults-only smile'.  "Tristan DuGrey, sir."

Richard looked mildly surprised.  "DuGrey?  Are you any relation to Janlen DuGrey?" he asked.

Tristan nodded.  "That's my grandfather sir."

Richard smiled.  "I've done business with Janlen for years.  He's a fine man.  Rory," he added, turning back to his granddaughter.  "You've got very good taste in friends. I approve."

Rory looked like she was going to comment when her grandfather was whisked away by some man named Lars.  She turned back to Tristan.

"He likes me," Tristan stated.

"He's drunk," Rory clarified.

Tristan changed the subject.  "Let's take a walk."

"This is stupid.  You don't even like me!  You just have this weird need to prove that I'll go out with you.  That's not liking someone," Rory burst out.

"Why are you fighting this?" Tristan asked.  "You're going to give in eventually."

"I'm going to find my mother."  She started to walk away.

Tristan smirked as she turned her back on him.  "Wow, meeting your mom. It's a bit sudden, but okay."  When she left, Tristan had nothing better to do.  The only reason he'd some to this party was to annoy her and now it was pretty obvious he wasn't going to see her for the rest of the night.

He turned his head slightly and saw Paris staring at him.  Tristan sighed deeply then turned on his heel, walked out the front door and went home.


	5. Unpleasent Meetings

"So, DuGrey," Scott Silver asked, running a hand through his tousled hair.  "Who're you taking to the Winter Formal?"

Tristan shrugged.  "I don't know."

"Thinking about asking that Gilmore girl?" Scott persisted.  "She's pretty cute.  I'm surprised you haven't scored with her yet."

Tristan laughed bitterly.  "Well, little Mary is tougher than I thought.  She totally blew me off at her party a couple of weeks ago."

Scott snorted.  "Oh, yeah.  I remember that thing.  God, it was boring.  I hate parties like that.  There's absolutely no chance of finding a private place."

"Will you shut up?" Tristan snapped.  "Would you get your mind out of the gutter for a few minutes, please?  God, I'm trying to think."

"Of what?"

Tristan ignored him.  His thoughts wandered back to the night of Rory's birthday party.  That was the night he realized that he didn't want to play the game anymore.  The night when he realized he was infatuated with her.

The bell rang, shaking him out of his reverie.  He grabbed his books and headed to class.

*          *          *

Tristan walked forward.  Behind him, a line of Chilton males stood, waiting to buy tickets for the winter formal.

"Hi Tristan," Paris greeted him.

Tristan answered swiftly.  "Paris."

"Two, I assume?" Paris asked, picking up two tickets.

"You assume right."  Tristan almost sighed in boredom but kept up his façade, while he flirted a little and made Paris blush.  Tristan commented on her hair before walking away.  He was halfway down the hall when he realized Rory was standing in the line.

"And she's reading again," he said, standing beside her.  "How novel."

Rory looked up from her book.  "Good-bye Tristan."

"Did you get the novel thing?" he persisted.  "Because..."

"I said goodbye," she snapped, returning her attention to the book.

Tristan dropped the subject.  "What are you doing here?"

"I like lines," Rory replied.

Tristan snorted.  "The guy's supposed to buy the tickets."

"Really?" she asked in mock surprise.  "Does Susan Faludi know about this?"

Tristan shrugged.  "Unless of course, there is no guy."  His mind began to fill with new hope.

"There's a guy."

His hope vanished.  "A cheap guy," he stated.

"Well, what can I say? I like them cheap. Sloppy too- bald spot, beer gut, you know, and the pants that kind of slip down in the back, giving you that good plumber shot. That sends me through the roof," Rory said sarcastically.

"So who is he?"

Rory slammed her book shut.  "How many languages can you say 'none-of your-business' in?"

"Does he go to this school?"

"No, he doesn't," Rory replied, re-opening her book.

"Uh-huh," Tristan said.  "Well, look, okay, I'll confess something to you. I don't have a date."

Rory looked up at him.  "Well I hear Squeaky Fromme is up for parole soon. You should keep a good thought."

"Well, actually, I thought you'd like to go with me," Tristan said conceitedly.

"You did not."

"I did to."

"You did not because you are not stupid," Rory said.

Tristan smirked.  "Why thank you."

"Slimy and weasely, yes, but stupid, no.  You'd have to be stupid to think that, given our history, I would ever, barring a piano or a safe falling on my head, want to go anywhere with you, ever," she said.

"Okay, fine."  Tristan paused.  "I'll take Cissy."

Roy moved her eyes back to her book.  "I'll send her a condolence card."

"Yeah," Tristan countered.  "Well, at least she won't be buying her own ticket."  He walked away and mentally kicked himself for acting so stupid.

*          *          *

Tristan had been watching her all night.  He watched as she entered the room with some guy on her arm.  He watched the way she moved and how she looked so beautiful in her blue dress.  He watched her talk with Louise and Madeline.  It drove him crazy when that guy put his arms around her waist.  And yet he kept watching.

He smirked when he saw Paris approach her, an annoyed look on her face.  His smirk quickly faded when Paris walked away and he saw Rory and her date begin to dance.  Tristan curled one hand into a fist when he saw the guy kiss Rory on the dance floor.  It took all his self-control not to walk up to them and punch the bastard.

"Okay, I'm perfect now," a bubbly voice said beside him.  Tristan looked to his left and saw his 'date' standing beside him.

"Great," he said dully, moving his eyes back to Rory.

"You wanna dance?" Cissy asked.

"Nope."

Cissy tried again.  "You wanna eat?"

"Nope."

"You wanna go make-out?"

Tristan finally tore his eyes away from the girl on the dance floor and looked at his date.  He didn't say anything for a second.  "Yeah, all right, let's go," he said finally.

*          *          *

A few hours later, Tristan spotted Rory's date with two coats over his arm.  It looked like they were leaving.  Tristan narrowed his eyes as he tried to figure out what type of guy this guy was.  He had found out from Louise and Madeline that his name was Dean.  And, according to Louise, he was very boring.

As Dean headed back to Rory, Tristan stood in his way.  "You know, we haven't met."

Dean looked at him.  "No, we haven't," he replied, looking a little impatient.

"I'm Tristan."

Recognition dawned onto Dean's face.  "Ah, yes we have."

Tristan looked at him suspiciously.  "What are you talking about?"

"Rory's mentioned you."

"Oh yeah?" Tristan asked, a smug smile on his face.

Dean shrugged.  "Yeah.  I wouldn't get quite so excited about it.  She said you were a jackass."

"Really?" Tristan said, looking offended.

"Actually, no, Rory doesn't use words like that.  I embellished a little," Dean went on.

Tristan snorted.  "Oh so you're the big strong protector?  Little princess needs a protector?" he mocked.

"What's your problem, man?"

"Nothing," Tristan snapped.  "Just don't like your girlfriend, that's all."  He was lying through his teeth and they both knew it.

"Really?  Doesn't look that way to me," Dean said.

"I don't really care how it looks to you."  Tristan didn't like this guy's attitude.  Dean was obviously one of those gentleman types.  The type that stayed loyal once they found that special girl.

"Hey. You got in my path, not the other way around."  Dean started to walk away, but Tristan wasn't about to let him leave.

"You're kidding me, right?" Dean asked, snorting.

Tristan glared at him.  "Why, are you going somewhere?"

"Get out of my way, _Dristan_," Dean said mockingly.

"Oh, aren't you clever?" Tristan replied.

Suddenly, Rory appeared out of nowhere and stepped in between them.  "Hey what's going on?"

Tristan shrugged.  "Nothing.  Just getting to know your boyfriend here."

Dean glared at him.  "It's going really well don't you think?"

"Oh yeah, we're just about to build a clubhouse," Tristan said sarcastically.

Rory looked sceptical.  "Okay.  Well, I hate to break up the party, but we should go."

"Oh, why?" Tristan said, turning around to face her.  "Little girl's got to be home?"

"Stop," Dean said.

"No, I think you two make a very cute couple. Is your horse and buggy parked outside? Got to get home for the barn raising?" Tristan went on.

Dean ignored him.  He took Rory's arm and the two started to walk away.  Tristan looked fiercely at their retreating backs and stepped in front of them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Dean yelled, shoving the arrogant, rich boy.  Around them, the Chiltonites stopped and stared.

"Okay, you will not push me again," Tristan said angrily.

Dean laughed.  "Are you seriously trying to act tough?  You're wearing a tie for God's sake."

Tristan had _had_ it.  "Outside.  Now!"

Dean composed himself and looked at the blond boy straight in the eye.  "I'm not fighting you," he said calmly.  "It'd be like fighting an accountant.  I'll call you when I need my taxes done."

Tristan lunged at Dean, knocking him backwards.  A few of Tristan's friends grabbed him and pushed Dean away.

"You don't want to fight me Tristan!" Dean said furiously.

"Why not?"  Tristan knew this remark was stupid but nothing else came to mind.

"Because I'll kill you, idiot!  Come on, Rory, let's go."  Dean and Rory tried to walk away once again.

Tristan had other ideas.  He broke free of the firm grip his friends had on him.  Dean turned around.

"You will not come near her.  Ever again," Dean said sharply.

Tristan couldn't do anything, except watch them as they walked away.  He couldn't believe it.  He'd just been defeated by some small-town hick.  Tristan could here a few comments coming from the students but he ignored them all and walked towards the exit at the other end of the hall.


	6. The Things we do for Love

**Auhtor's Note:** 'kay people this is the, what, fifth part?  Or sixth part?  Whatever.  Anyways, I kind of put two episodes, I think, in this chapter.  I wanna write the bare minimum of what happened during the episodes 'cause most of you know how it turns out anyway.  After I post the chapter where Tristan leaves for NC, then we'll get onto the original story where you won't know what'll happen.  Okay, why are you still reading this note?  The story, people, the story is right down there below this stupid thing I'm writing.  Another thing, please review.  Please?  Pretty please?

*         *          *

It had been a month after that dance incident and things had returned to normal for Tristan.  Getting up, going to school, bugging Rory.  Despite the fact that her boyfriend had threatened him, Tristan had ignored those last words that were spoken between them.  He didn't listen to anyone, especially not to some guy who worked as bag boy in a market.

Unfortunately, this 'not-listening-to-anyone' rule often got him into trouble.  Take the predicament he was in now for an example.  He was staring at Rory, Ms Caldecott was talking about some debate and she had just directed a question right at him.

"What is fascinating Mr DuGrey?"

Tristan looked up at his teacher.  "Uh- nothing Ms Caldecott."

"Nothing Mr DuGrey?"

Tristan looked down at his desk, trying to think of an excuse that wouldn't land him into trouble.  He looked up at his teacher again.  "My notes- my notes are fascinating Ms Caldecott."

"Yes, they are fascinating Mr DuGrey," Ms Caldecott said before turning her attention back to the class.  "As I was saying, the pro and con teams will each have two minutes and 30 seconds for introductions, six minutes to debate, three minutes for conclusions and five minutes for questions from the audience. The winner shall be decided by a hand count from the rest of the class."  She looked over at Tristan and caught him staring at Rory Gilmore again.  "Does that sound like fun Mr DuGrey?"

Tristan's head snapped up.  "What?"

"The debate.  Does it sound like fun?" the teacher repeated.

"Yes it does," Tristan agreed, although he had no idea what this woman was on about.

"It does, doesn't it Mr DuGrey?"

Tristan nodded.  "Oh, it absolutely does Ms. Caldecott."

"More fun than staring at Miss Gilmore's ear?" the elderly woman went on, raising an eyebrow at him.

The class snickered.  Rory looked back at him and raised her hand to cover her face.

Tristan regained his composure quickly.  "Yes Ms Caldecott."

"Yeah, I think so to," Ms Caldecott said.

She quickly assigned the groups and Tristan let out a sigh of relief before he transferred his eyes back to their original position of staring at Rory Gilmore, once again.

*          *         *

After class, he watched Rory discuss her debating plans with Paris, Louise and Madeline, trying to decide when he should cut in the conversation.

_Ah screw it_, he thought, making a beeline towards them.  He walked past Rory and leaned against the lockers so he was directly in front of Paris.  "Hey Paris."

Pairs looked flushed.  "Tristan, hi."

"You know," Tristan said, a disappointed tone coming from his voice.  "I was really hoping we'd be in the same group."

"You were?"

"Oh yeah.  I mean, it would make the long hours of studying go by a lot faster. Plus, come on," he said.  "You and me on the same team, we'd wipe the floor with the others."  Tristan paused.  "I guess we'll just have to pair up on something else then, huh?"

"That would be good," Paris replied, blushing a little.

"Yeah, it would.  I'll see you later."  He pushed himself off the lockers.  "Bye Madeline, bye Louise."  He walked off, completely ignoring Rory, which, of course, he had planned to do all along.

*          *          *

A few weeks later, Tristan tried a different tactic to get to Rory Gilmore.  After all, annoying her didn't work, picking a fight with her boyfriend didn't work and playing hard-to-get didn't work.  His new plan: make her jealous.  Most girls didn't fall for this act but, then again, Rory wasn't like most girls.

So, here he was.  He'd planted himself in front of her locker and was making out with Summer Williamson, the girl that had the great honour of being Tristan's latest girlfriend.  He heard the footsteps of three people approach and quickly determined that they were Paris, Madeline and Louise.

"And they're off," he heard Madeline say.  She was standing only a few meters away but her voice sounded distant to him.

"The bell just rang three seconds ago," Paris said, irritated.  "How did they get lip locked so fast?"

Tristan heard Madeline comment that she wanted a boyfriend like him to make-out with.  Then he heard Louise state places that could be used for making-out.

"Excuse me?" Paris said, walking up to them.  "You're in my way."  She waited for the two to move.  "Hey, spawn in front of somebody else's locker please."

Then came the moment of truth.  Tristan heard a fourth person join the group- Rory.

"So," she said to Paris.  "I'm assuming your locker's in there somewhere also."

"Yup," Paris replied.  "Right behind Belle Watling."

There was silence for a few seconds.  "God," Rory said.  "Look at that.  It's like he's eating her face."

"Okay, that's it," Paris said.  "I'm getting the fire hose."

Rory shook her head.  "Let me try first."  She walked up to the two and tapped Tristan on the shoulder.  "Hey, could you two just move this whole thing down to the left a little?"

Tristan broke away from Summer's grasp and stared at her.  "What?"

"You're standing in front of the lockers," Rory informed him.

"Our lockers," Paris added.

Tristan shrugged.  "Oh, sorry.  Just got a little carried away."

Rory raised her eyebrows.  "Right."

Summer looked at Rory for a second before turning her attention to Paris.  "You should get bangs."

"Thanks for the tip," Paris said, not sounding at all sincere.

Summer went on.  "You have a long forehead.  Bangs would hide that."

Madeline cut in before Paris could respond.  "Hey, party at my house Saturday."

"Dress to impress, please," Louise added, smiling coyly at Tristan.

Madeline handed Rory a flier.  "Come?"

Rory hesitated.  "Oh, I don't know."

"You can bring your boyfriend," Madeline offered.

Tristan desperately tried to ignore the conversation between Rory and the other girls.  The moment _Dean's_ name was brought up, he felt himself boiling with rage.

"So, meet me after biology?" Summer said suddenly.

Tristan looked at her for a second, trying to remember who she was.  "And if I don't?" he asked, still a little confused, but hid it very well.

"You will."

He smiled at her, remembering why he was going out with her in the first place.  "Oh yes I will."  Summer smiled at him before heading down the hall.  Tristan turned around to face the three girls.  "Ah," he said.  "To be young and in love."

"What a shame Elizabeth Barrett Browning wasn't here to witness this," he heard Paris say as he walked away from them.  "She'd put her head through a wall."


	7. A Kiss Followed By Tears

**Author's Note:** A question for all you Gilmore Girls fans out there: what is Dean's last name?  We know Tristan's is DuGrey and we know Jess's is Mariano.  I just find it a bit strange that out of all the guys Rory has kissed, we don't actually know the last name of the guy she's kissed the most.  I mean, we even know what Jackson's last name is and he's just the vegetable guy.  I'm not implying anything to any Dean fans out there.  I was just making an observation.

*          *          *

Tristan was not having a very good night.  It was the night of Madeline's party and so far, he had spent most of it, running after Summer.  It was not something he was used to.  Most of the time, or rather, all of the time, it was usually the girl who was chasing him.

"Look," Tristan said, when he finally caught up with his 'girlfriend'.  "Why won't you answer me?"

"Because you didn't say please," Summer said, looking around the room.

Tristan was starting to get a little embarrassed.  They were standing near the dance floor and he had just spotted Rory, Paris and a Korean girl he didn't know, staring at them.  "Summer."

"Can we do this later?" Summer asked, still not meeting his eye.  "There's a party going on."

Tristan clenched his teeth.  "Just tell me what you were doing locked in the bathroom with Austin."  Actually, he had a pretty good idea of what they were doing.  He just didn't want to admit it.

"Nothing," Summer replied innocently.

"Nothing?" he repeated.

"Yup."

Tristan shook his head.  "No."

"Well why don't you tell me what I was doing since you seem to know everything?" she challenged him.

Tristan was starting to get a little defensive.  "Hey, you are my girlfriend."

"Ooh now he's a caveman," Summer taunted him.  "What are you doing to do, knock me on the back of my head with a club and then drag me back to your Porsche?"

"Summer, please," Tristan pleaded.

She ignored him.  "Ooh, good song."  She turned away from him and disappeared into the crowd.

Tristan released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding.  He looked around and saw Rory give him a concerned look.  Did she feel… _sorry_ for him?  He turned around and headed out of the room.

*          *          *

"Tristan, stop it."  Summer breathed heavily, trying to get away from her over-possessive boyfriend.

"You're making me chase you around the whole party," Tristan snapped, finally losing his temper.

"Just trying to have fun," Summer replied, like that explained everything.

Tristan glared at her.  "Okay, you won't talk to me, you won't dance with me, why the hell did you even come with me?!"

"Stop yelling," Summer complained.

"Summer, please," Tristan said.  "Can we just go?"

"No," Summer said firmly.

"Please."  _Could this be anymore embarrassing?_ Tristan thought.  He had said 'please' to this girl more times than he had to anybody else.

"No."  Summer glared at him.  "I'm sick of fighting with you.  I'm sick of hearing twenty times a day 'you're my girlfriend'."

Tristan looked around.  "Okay, could we possibly do this where a roomful of people aren't staring at us?"

"I think we should break up," Summer said casually, ignoring his last request.

Tristan's eyes widened.  "Okay, I really want to go outside and talk about this."

Summer waved her hand towards the front door.  "Then go.  Bye."  She turned around and walked away.

"Summer, come on!" he yelled at her retreating back.  She didn't turn around.  He was stunned.  He'd never been dumped before.  Ever.  Tristan looked around and saw Rory quickly reverting her eyes back to her book, but he knew she saw everything.  She always did.

*          *          *

He had been sitting here for quite a while now.  Almost thirty minutes.  Twenty-nine minutes and five seconds to be exact.  He didn't know why he was here, sitting on the piano bench, staring at the black and white keys in front of him.  All he knew was that he'd been dumped for the first time in his life.  That wasn't all.  The fact that Rory Gilmore had witnessed it all, had only added to his humiliation.

For some reason though, staring down at the keys of the piano calmed him.  Tristan had always been a natural when it came to music.  When he was younger, he'd always turn to an instrument for solace whenever something went haywire in his life.  Sighing deeply, Tristan pulled up his sleeves and flexed his fingers, scanning his head for a piece he knew by heart.  The only thing that came to mind was Beethoven's Fur Elise.  It was one of the first things he'd ever learnt to play.

Tristan sighed once again and started to hit the familiar notes.  He'd been playing for about two minutes when he heard someone step into the room.  Surprised, he looked up and abruptly stopped his playing.

"Oh sorry," Rory said when she caught sight of him.

"No problem," Tristan replied, shrugging.

There was an awkward silence between them.  "I'm sorry," Rory said finally.

"About what?" Tristan asked her.

Rory walked into the room, coming closer to him.  "About you and Summer."

"I don't want to talk about Summer."

Rory continued to walk into the room until she was standing next to him.  "Okay.  How did you do on that biology test?"

Tristan looked at her.  "What?"

Rory took a seat next to him.  "The test.  It was hard, wasn't it?"

"Yeah it was hard," Tristan agreed, looking confused.

"I got a B+" she informed him.

Tristan's curiosity finally got the better of him.  "What are you doing?"

"Talking about the test."

"Why?"

Rory looked at him, like he a toddler.  "Because you said you didn't want to talk about Summer."

"I don't."

"Okay, so I moved to biology," Rory explained.  "Sorry, did you want to talk about Spanish?"

Tristan shook his head.  "You just loved it, didn't you?" he said, changing the subject.

"Loved what?" Rory asked, looking confused.

Tristan's mouth curved into a cynical smile.  "Seeing me get nailed like that.  Must have been a great moment."

"Not really," Rory replied, shaking her head.

"Please," Tristan said.  "You loved it, she loved it, everybody loved it."

Rory was starting to get annoyed.  "I did not love it."

Tristan stared at the fireplace, a faraway look in his eyes.  "I really liked her too."  A voice inside his head suddenly snorted.  Liked her?  Yeah right.

"Yeah, I know," Rory comforted.

Tristan turned his head to face her.  "So where's your boyfriend tonight?"

Rory hesitated.  "He's… not my boyfriend anymore."

"Why not?"

She shrugged.  "He didn't want to be."

Tristan shook his head.  "Idiot."

"Well, so is Summer," Rory replied.

He was surprised.  She was admitting Summer was an idiot for breaking up with him?  "When did this happen?" he asked.

"Yesterday."

Tristan looked surprised.  "Wow."

Rory bit her lip.  "It was our three month anniversary."

"That sucks."

Rory shrugged again.  "Do you think you'll get back together with Summer?"

He shook his head.  "No, no, no.  No, no, no, no."

Rory looked slightly amused.  "So, no?"

"No," Tristan said.  He paused.  "Hey, sorry I gave you such a hard time for a while."

"That's okay," Rory told him.

Tristan raised his eyebrows.  "It is?"

Rory considered.  "Well, no.  But you're sad."  She smiled.

"Yeah well," he said, shrugging.  "I am sorry."

"I accept your apology."

Tristan smiled suddenly, amused at the irony of it all.  "Oh man, it's a great party huh?"

"Yeah not bad," Rory agreed.  "It gave me a chance to catch up on my reading."

Tristan gave a small laugh.  "You are very odd, you know that?"

Rory smiled.  "Thank you."

"You're welcome."  He paused and looked her straight in the eye.  Everything around them seemed to stop.  He leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly against hers, in a light kiss.  She was still for a second but then she began to respond.

And then the spell was broken.  She pulled away from him, tears starting to spill down her smooth, fair cheeks.

For some reason, Tristan felt hurt by her actions.  "I'm sorry," he said.  "What did I do?  Did I bite your lip or something?"

Rory sniffed, trying to wipe away the tears.  "No it's not you.  I just- I have to go."  She stood up and ran out of the room, leaving Tristan alone with his confused thoughts.


	8. The Beginning of a Friendship

"I think that the basic structure of the Elizabethan government is relatively sound. The division of power between the monarchy, the Privy Council and the parliament all seem to work. Agreed?" Paris asked, looking around the circle.

Tristan sighed.  One of their teachers had assigned a group project where they had to come up with their own mock government.  As luck would have it, Rory was placed in the same group he was in.  He didn't understand what was going on with her.  First they were talking like civilised people, then they kissed and now she was avoiding him?  He didn't have time to ponder though.  He had to focus on this assignment.

"Agreed," Madeline replied.

Louise inspected her nails.  "Ditto."

Paris went on but most of the group and tuned out.  Tristan himself was just beginning to nod off when Paris put him on the spot.

"So in addition to the different political branches, we'll also need a King and Queen. Rory, Tristan, what about you?" she said.

Tristan was still for a second.  "Us?"

"Oh," Rory said, looking stunned.

"No," Tristan said.  He was still feeling a bit awkward about that kiss and the thought of them playing a king and queen was too much.

"Yes, no," Rory agreed with him.

Paris frowned.  "Why?"

Tristan scanned his head for an excuse.  "Because…"

"I just don't want to be queen," Rory said, sounding adamant.

"Me either," Tristan said.  He paused, thinking about what he had just said.  "King- I don't want to be king."

"What about you?" Rory asked Paris.  "You be queen."

Paris gave her a look.  "I'm going to be head of Parliament.  I can't be queen," she stated.

"Be both."

"I can't be both," Paris replied.  "It's not done that way."

Rory was on a roll.  "It can be though.  Let's vote," she added, looking around at the group.

"Rory," Paris started to say.

Rory, however, was not finished.  "Henry VIII started a new church when the old one wouldn't allow divorce."

Paris frowned again.  "He also cut off his wife's head.  Is he still your role model?"

"I'm just saying we have the opportunity to make any kind of government we want here," Rory explained.

"Why won't you be queen?" Paris asked, irritated at the way the conversation was going.

Madeline spoke up.  "I'll be queen."

Paris looked at her.  "Fine, you're queen, Tristan's king."  She glared at his direction.

Tristan raised his hands in defeat, not saying a word.

"I'll be the lady-in-waiting.  The one with the low-cut blue velvet renaissance dress," Louise volunteered.

"Lady-in-waiting is not a political office," Paris informed her.

"No," Louise agreed, crossing her legs underneath the table.  "But they get all the sex."

"What?" Paris said, looking both annoyed and exasperated.

Louise rolled her eyes.  "Watch a movie."

"We are talking about government class not the movies," Paris snapped.  "God why can't I get one person to care about this as much as I do?"

"Okay, fine," Louise said.  "I'll be the head of the Quarter Sessions court, but I'm still wearing the dress.  Happy?"

"Out of my mind," Paris replied sarcastically.  "Okay, so, I secured us the class room to work tomorrow and Sunday so that by Monday we'll be ready."

Tristan looked up from his notes.  What did she just say?  They were working all weekend?

"We're working all weekend?" Madeline asked, echoing Tristan's thoughts.

"You're kidding," Louise said, just before the bell rang.

Paris handed out bundles of paper to each member of the group.  "Take this.  It's an outline for the entire system - point of methods, some basic laws and penalties plus some random ideas. Please be ready to discuss it tomorrow 9:00 in the morning, don't be late."

Madeline stared at the sheet in front of her.  "Wow.  She designed the flag."

The other members of the group quickly left and before long, Tristan was sitting alone in the room.  He sighed before noticing a notebook sitting on one of the desks.  He picked it up and glanced quickly at the nametag: Rory Gilmore.

_What is this, some sort of sign?_ he thought to himself.  Just as he was exiting the room, she entered and crashed right into him.

"Uh… you left this," Tristan said, handing her the notebook.

Rory accepted it.  "Oh yeah I did.  Thanks."

"Sure," Tristan said.  He was about to exit through the door when Rory tried to do the exact same thing.  Tristan moved back into the room, Rory at his side.

"Well," Rory said awkwardly.  "That could have been a potential Marx Bothers moment."

Tristan gave her a small grin.  "You go first."

"Okay," Rory said, stepping out into the hall.  She paused for a second but then stepped back into the room.  "I think we need to talk."

"About what?" Tristan questioned, acting dumb.

Rory sighed.  "Tristan, you know about what."

Tristan shook his head.  "No I don't."

"Look," Rory began.  "We have a lot of work ahead of us. We also have about two and a half years of being in the same school.  I don't want things to be weird between us.  Don't you think it'd be good to at least try to talk about this?"

"Okay," Tristan agreed finally.

"Good."  The two both tried to get through the door at the same time once again and then both backed up.  "I'm gonna go first," Rory said.

Tristan chuckled awkwardly.  "Right."

*          *          *

Tristan sighed and turned around to face Rory.  "So, we're supposed to talk?"

It was lunchtime and the two had met out in Chilton's courtyard.  Tristan had no idea what he was going to say to her, but he was prepared for it.

"Yeah," Rory agreed.  "Look about the other night."

Tristan decided to stretch out the truth a little bit.  "Look," he interrupted.  "I was upset over Summer."

"Yes," Rory said.  "And I was upset over Dean."

Tristan winced slightly but decided to continue with his version of what happened.  "So, then it doesn't mean anything right?"  He held his breath, hoping that Rory would disagree with him.

"Right," Rory said.

"So, then- right, so then that's it.  We just chalk it up to a bad night," Tristan stated.

The two had been walking as they talked and they had approached a bench.  Tristan lowered himself down onto it and Rory followed in suit.

"Okay," Rory said.  There was a pause.  "I'm sorry I cried."

Tristan shrugged, pretending that it didn't matter.  "No problem."

"I swear," Rory went on.  "It had nothing to do with the kiss."

"I kissed you, you cried," Tristan said to her.  "That had to do something with the kiss."

Rory shook her head.  "No, I cried because I was confused. Because I hadn't cried."  She stopped when she realized she was making no sense.  "I didn't cry because of the kiss.  It was a nice kiss."

"Yeah?"

Rory nodded.  "Very nice.  Not at all crying material," she said.

"Really?" Tristan asked, his hopes rising.

"Absolutely."

Tristan smirked.  "Wanna try it again?" he asked, half joking.

"Well, I think someone's recovering from their heartbreak just fine," Rory said, looking slightly amused.

"Yeah, I'm all better."  Tristan paused.  "I think I'm going to swear off girls for a while."

Rory let out a small snort.  "Ha!"

Tristan looked at her.  "What?"

Rory looked serious again.  "Uh, sorry, nothing. You said you were going to swear off girls - it's funny."

"Oh, you don't think I can?" he challenged her.

Rory couldn't help smiling a little.  "No I think you can, I just think it would be hard for you. It'd probably involve some kind of lock up facility, one of those Hannibal Lector masks."

Tristan shrugged.  "Okay, yeah it would be hard," he conceded.  "But not impossible."

"Maybe it's not so much swearing off all girls but swearing off a certain kind of girl," Rory said.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning next time maybe you should pick a girl with a little more substance. You know, a girl who's smart and is driven and has ambition. You know like Paris," Rory explained.

Tristan stared at her.  "Are you serious?"

"Yeah why not? Paris is smart and cute and interesting and yes she does bring her own unique set of baggage into the mix," Rory said.

"A matching set."

Rory went on.  "But she likes you.  She's crazy about you.  She thinks you're amazing."

"You want me to date Paris?" Tristan asked, still not sure if she was serious.

"Just think about it," Rory said.

Tristan exhaled loudly.  "Me and Paris?"

Rory smiled at him.  "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship."

He looked at her.  "Who's Louis?"

Rory smiled again.  "Just think."  She got up off the bench and walked away.

*          *          *

On Saturday morning, Tristan walked into the halls of Chilton, ready to work on their mock government.  He was also ready to ask out Paris.  He'd thought about what Rory had said and she did make some good points.

He entered the classroom and the first thing he saw was Louise, half sitting, and half lying on the table.

"Ding, ding, ding.  No debating until I've had coffee," she proclaimed, yawning slightly.

"And a clown," Madeline added, returning to her magazine.

"Ladies," Tristan greeted them.

Madeline looked up.  "Hi Tristan."

"Hey," Rory said, smiling in his direction.

He took a deep breath before continuing.  "Paris, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Paris looked surprised.  "Oh sure, okay."  She got up from her seat and followed Tristan out of the classroom.

Louise raised her eyebrows.  "And what is that about, pray tell?"

"I don't know," Madeline said shrugging.  "The project- maybe?"

Louise shook her head.  "They could've talked project here.  It's something else.  Something private."

"Scandal," Madeline said.

Louise shrugged.  "Maybe," she said.  "Though it is Paris."

"Scandal lite."

"All the taste with much fewer calories," Louise went on, inspecting her nails.

"We could spy," Madeline suggested.

Rory cut in.  "Or we could wait for her to come back in to see if she wants us to know."

Louise looked up.  "Those who simply wait for information to find them, spend a lot of time sitting by the phone.  Those who go out and find it themselves, have something to say when it rings."

"Nietzsche?" Rory guessed.

Louise returned her eyes to her nails.  "Dawson," she replied.

Rory nodded.  "My next guess."

Paris re-entered the classroom and headed over to the group of girls.

Louise jumped to her feet.  "So, what was with the confab in the hallway?"

"We're dying here," Madeline chided.

"Well, Tristan, he… asked me out," Paris said, smiling.

"No!" Madeline exclaimed.

Louise raised her eyebrows.  "My, my, my.  Details please. Don't leave out anything.  We want every comma, apostrophe and ampersand."

"When?" Madeline asked.

"Tonight," Paris replied.

Louise frowned.  "Hmm."

Paris turned to face her.  "What?"

"Nothing."

Paris wasn't about to let the matter go.  "No, you 'hmm'ed.  Why did you 'hmm'?"

"Forget it."

Paris was starting to get annoyed.  "Louise, tell me why you 'hmm'ed," she demanded.

"He asked you out for tonight," Louise finally replied.

Madeline looked a little disappointed.  "Less than 24 hours notice."

Louise shrugged her shoulders.  "Usually that means someone else cancelled," she told her friend.

"Or maybe he just got up the nerve to ask her out," Rory said, who had been silent since Paris had rejoined the group.

"Maybe," Madeline agreed.

"This is so amazing," Louise said.  "I mean you're far from Tristan's type.  Tristan usually likes his girls bad."

Madeline smiled.  "Looks like we're going to have to do the Pink Ladies makeover on you."

Louise looked elated.  "We'll turn you from a sweet Sandy to a slutty Sandy.  Dancing at the school fair with high heels, black spandex and permed hair."

"You can borrow my water bra," Madeline volunteered.

Rory tuned out of the conversation and turned her head to wear Tristan was sitting with the other members of their group.  He looked totally calm, like nothing had happened.  She frowned.  She hoped he wasn't going to lead her on.  Then she'd definitely have something to say to him.

*          *          *

The next morning, Tristan found himself in the exact same spot he'd been in 24 hours ago.  He headed down the hallway and passed Rory and Paris who were sitting outside the classroom.

He nodded at them.  "Hey," he said before entering the room.

Paris followed him in.  "Hi," she said.

"Hey," he said again.

Paris smiled.  "I just wanted to tell you again that I had so much fun last night," she gushed.

Tristan sat down on the desk near the other two male members of the group.  "Yeah, after five messages on my answering machine, I kind of got that impression."

The smile disappeared of Paris' face.  "Too much, sorry."

Tristan ran a hand through his dishevelled blond hair.  "No forget it, it was cute."

"You know, maybe we could do it again sometime.  I mean a different movie of course but the same basic plan," Paris went on, the smile returning.

"Absolutely."

"Great," Paris said.  "Because it was really fun."

Tristan smiled.  "It was fun and we should do it again.  I mean you know- as friends," he said.

Paris looked disappointed.  "Oh, yeah as friends."

"You noticed it to right?" Tristan asked, hoping that she did.  "That we're sort of more friends material than dating material?"

"Oh sure," Paris said flatly.

Tristan was relieved.  "When Rory first suggested us going out I thought the idea was crazy but she made some good points.  We do have some history and well, you never know right?"

"Yes you never know.  Okay, so we're done here right?" Paris said sharply.

Tristan was surprised.  "Uh, sure."

"Great.  Excuse me," she said, walking away from him.  She headed towards Rory who had just walked through the door.

"What?" Rory asked, setting her bag down.

Paris glared at her.  "It was your idea?" she asked angrily.  "So what, I get all your cast offs now?  I'm just that pathetic?  'Gee I don't want them so maybe I can con the suckers into taking out Paris the loser'! Throw the dog a bone!"

"Okay, let me-" Rory started to say.

Paris wasn't finished.  "I'm not your charity case!"

"No it's not like that, I swear," Rory said.  "I just thought you guys would make a good couple that's all."

"We did make a good couple - for one night! But obviously we're more suited to just being friends or at least that was what was conveyed so humiliatingly to me just five seconds ago," Paris yelled.

Rory felt terrible.  "Paris, I'm sorry-" she started to say.

"I hate you!" Paris said, before storming out.  Madeline and Louise, who had just appeared through the door, glanced at Rory for a second before following their outraged friend down the hall.

Rory's eyes flashed angrily as she stalked up towards Tristan.  "You told her?" she demanded.

Tristan raised his hands up defensively.  "I didn't know it was a secret."

"Why would you tell her?" Rory asked.  "What is wrong with you?!"

Tristan tried to calm her down.  "Rory relax, we tried ok, it didn't work out, it's not big deal."

"It's a huge deal to Paris and you didn't try.  One date isn't trying," Rory raved.

"Rory-"

Rory glared at him.  "You said you'd try."

Tristan was starting to get a little annoyed.  "Hey, I'm sorry Paris is upset, okay.  But is it better that I keep dating her even thought I like somebody else?"

Rory looked stunned.  "Oh."

"Yeah," Tristan said, looking away.  Had he said too much?  Did she finally figure out that he liked her?

"I didn't realize.  So… you're still not over Summer huh?" Rory asked.

Tristan looked back at her, a confused look on his face.  "Yeah, I'm not over Summer yet," he said semi-sarcastically.  Tristan stood up and walked out of the room, wondering how a girl as intelligent as Rory could be so blind.


	9. Revelations and a Broken Heart

**Author's Note:** To the person who wrote that I took the same lines from the show, my reply is: duh.  The whole point of the story is for Tristan to tell his daughter exactly how things happened with Rory, which means not changing anything.  On another note, I was told Dean's last name is Hart.  What episode did that come from?

*          *          *

It was the last week of school and Tristan was wondering around, trying to find Rory.  After the whole Paris ordeal, the two had gone slowly back to being tentative friends.

He finally spotted her at her locker.  "You should decorate this thing," he suggested, gesturing towards her locker door.

"I did," she replied, continuing to take out her books.

"Well I mean with something other than a bunch of dead black and white women," Tristan said.

Rory looked up from her book gathering.  "What, like curtains?"

Tristan clucked his tongue.  "You know what I mean.  I did mine up."

"Yeah, I saw that," Rory said, closing her locker door.  "The naked picture of the Siamese twins is particularly classy."

Tristan changed the subject.  "You know what these are?" he asked, holding up two tickets.

Rory squinted.  "They look like tickets."

"To PJ Harvey," Tristan added.

Rory looked impressed.  "Wow, you have good taste.  I'll give you that."

"You're into PJ Harvey, right?" Tristan asked, knowing full well that she was.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

Tristan smiled cockily.  "Why, I'm all knowing."

Rory smirked.  "How Godlike of you," she commented.

"One of these is for you," Tristan added generously.

Rory looked surprised.  "Oh, I don't think we should go to a concert together."

"Reason?"

"It would seem like a date," Rory replied.

Tristan tilted his head.  "Well, it would seem like a date because it would be a date," he informed her.

Rory shook her head and stared at him in disbelief.  "I can't date you Tristan."

"Well I give you my permission."

Rory looked disgusted.  "And on that humble note," she said before walking away from him.

Tristan watched her walk away.  He saw her talking to Paris, Madeline and Louise.  He watched her walk away from them and then he watched the three girls heading for Paris' locker, which happened to be standing beside him.

"She was a neo-addict retro chic," Louise was saying when they reached Paris' locker.

Madeline looked confused.  "No one tells me these things."

Paris turned her head slightly and gave nodded at Tristan.  "Hi."

"Hey," he replied.

"Ooh, what are those?" Madeline questioned, spotting the tickets in his hands.

Tristan held them up.  "Oh, PJ Harvey tickets."

"Really?" Louise asked.  "Who are you going with?"  She raised her eyebrows as she waited for his response.

"Rory."

Paris turned around and stared at him.  "What?"

"Rory's going out with you?" Louise asked, looking sceptical.

Tristan smiled arrogantly.  "Yes she is," he replied before walking away.

*          *          *

On the final day of school, Tristan was leaning against a wall, waiting for Rory to walk by.  When she finally did, he fell into step beside her.

"So I'm a little tired of this game," he said, annoyed.

Rory didn't look at him.  "What game?"

Tristan decided to cut straight to the point.  "Are we meeting there or what?"

Rory finally looked at him.  "What are you talking about?"

Tristan sighed.  "The concert is tonight," he said in an exasperated tone in his voice.

Rory kept on walking, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead of her.  "Well, I hope you and the empty seat next to you have a lot of fun."

Tristan stopped.  "I'm starting to get a little irritated here."

"So am I," Rory snapped.

"What are you mad about?" Tristan asked her.

"You've been telling everyone that I'm going to this thing with you," she said, looking annoyed.  "You told Paris.  Paris and I had just started getting along and now she hates me again."

Tristan shrugged.  "Well, the damage is done.  You might as well go to PJ Harvey with me."

Rory frowned.  "Never, never.  I am never going anywhere with you ever."

Tristan stared at her.  She was serious.  "You know, these tickets cost me a fortune."

"They cost your daddy a fortune," Rory spat back.

Tristan shook his head in annoyance.  "I don't even know anybody else who's even into this stupid guy," he told her.

Rory glared at him.  "PJ Harvey is a woman."  She started to walk away but was stopped.  Tristan grabbed her books and held them away from her.  "What are you doing?"

"You'll get them back when you agree to go with me," he told her.  Those were the words coming out of his mouth.  Meanwhile, his brain was screaming, '_You idiot.  What the hell are you doing?'_

An exasperated sigh came out of Rory's mouth.  "You're pathetic Tristan.  Keep the books.  I'm leaving."  She walked out of the hallway and into the courtyard.

Tristan followed her and then heard her utter a name that made his heart freeze.

"Dean?" she asked, looking surprised.  "Dean."  She started walking towards him.  "What are you doing here?"

Dean spotted Tristan over her shoulder and shook his head.  "I'm leaving.  I shouldn't have come."

"No, wait," Rory protested.

"I feel like an idiot," Dean mumbled.  "I come all the way out here and I see you with him.  That's just great."

Rory looked panicked.  "No.  Tristan was just-"

"I don't care," Dean snapped, walking back to his truck.

"No, listen."

Dean looked annoyed.  "He's got your books Rory."

"But he took them and wouldn't give them back," Rory tried to explain.  "Please just tell me why you're here."

Dean hesitated.  "I thought you were trying to talk to me."  He paused.  "At the town meeting, all that stuff about writing a song?"

"I don't know what I was talking about," Rory denied.

"That had nothing to do with me?  Well I must have imagined it all then."  He looked back over at Tristan and gave a bitter smile.  "Your boyfriend's waiting."

Rory's eyes widened.  "He's not my boyfriend," she said desperately.  "I hate him."  Dean continued to walk.  Tristan's heart cracked once he heard the words escape her lips.

"Dean, stop."

"Why?" Dean said, finally turning around.

Rory looked terrified at the prospect of losing Dean.  It was time for desperate measures.  "Because I love you, you idiot."

Tristan looked miserably at the scene in front of him.  Just when you think things couldn't get any worse, they do.  Dean had gone up to Rory and the two were swapping spit in the middle of the Chilton courtyard.  He looked down and realised he still held Rory's books in his hand.  Placing them on the floor, he took a deep breath, straightened his blazer and walked away, his heart smashed into thousands of pieces.


	10. Romeo and Juliet

Tristan's summer had gone by uneventfully.  He had spent most of his days at home.  It was kind of a shock to his parents who had expected him to spend every minute away from the DuGrey residence.  However, you might have noticed that Tristan spent most of his _days_ at home.  At night… well that was a completely different story.

At the beginning of the summer break, Tristan had found some new 'friends'.  Duncan and Bowman.  They had a bit of a bad reputation at Chilton.  Everyone knew them as the troublemakers- the guys who pulled off extremely stupid, and dangerous, pranks.  Anyone with half a brain stayed clear of them.  Unfortunately for Tristan, he had met them soon after Rory Gilmore had declared her hatred for him.  That had made him vulnerable.  He was open to try anything, even if it landed him in trouble.

Like the other night, he had been caught shoplifting at a local CD store.  His father had been extremely disappointed and angry.  He had ordered Tristan to keep away from Duncan and Bowman.  Tristan, of course, didn't listen.

When the summer was over, he had returned to school, the rebel he had been before.  He had pulled off some pretty stupid pranks the moment he returned.  He'd been suspended more than once and it was only two months into the school year.

Seeing how he'd missed so much school, his teachers had nearly forgotten he existed.  That's how he ended up here- chatting with Professor Anderson about the upcoming Shakespeare assignment.

"… now Mr DuGrey," the teacher continued.  "If you want to pass this course I suggest you quickly join up with a group and try to put some effort into the assignment.  You're far enough behind as it is."

Tristan stood up from his chair.  "May I have a list of who's in what group?" he requested.  Professor Anderson frowned suspiciously but handed over the list.  Tristan quickly scanned through it and decided Act V would best suit him.  "Hmm, thank you," he said finally, tossing the paper back onto the teacher's desk.

"The groups are all assembling in the cafeteria this period," the teacher went on.  "Find your group and don't waste time, Mr DuGrey."

Tristan merely shrugged and headed over to the cafeteria.  He quickly spotted Paris, Madeline, Louise, Rory and the guy he assumed was Brad sitting at one of the tables.  Paris was standing at the head of the table and was busy giving orders.

"We're short on boys.  That makes you Romeo," he heard Paris say to Brad as he approached.  "Louise, you can play the Friar."

Louise looked up from her nails.  "Excuse me?"

"Well, well, the gang's all here," Tristan said, pulling up a chair, planting himself beside Rory.

Paris glared at him.  "This is a meeting."

"Yeah, sorry I'm late."

"What do you think you're doing?" Paris raged.

"Uh, Professor Anderson forgot to include me when she made up the groups, so she told me to pick one," he replied, turning his head to look at Rory.  Rory moved her arm away in disgust.

"Fine, you have four other acts to choose from.  Take your pick," Paris told him.

Tristan shrugged.  "Yeah, well Summer's in act 1, Beth and Jessica are in act 2."  He paused.  "Kate's in act 3, and uh, Claire, Kathy, and Mary are in act 4.  So this is the only one free of ex-girlfriends."

Paris looked pissed.  "So we're being punished for our good taste?"

"Oh Paris, you hurt me," he said in mock sadness.  "Do you no longer have any need for me at all?"

Louise leaned forward.  "Yes, we have a great need.  You can be our Romeo."

"Brad is Romeo," Rory said, pointing at the boy sitting on the other side of her.

"Put in your other contact Grandma," Louise said.  "Tristan is Romeo. Brad can be the second guard on the left," she added casually.

"No," Paris said.

Madeline joined in.  "She's kinda right Paris.  Tristan was born to be Romeo."

"Hey, I'm the director and I'll decide who's born to be what, and Brad is Romeo," Paris said fiercely.

Louise leaned back in her seat and turned to Madeline.  "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," she said quietly.

Paris glared at her.  "What'd you say?"

Louise turned back to face her.  "Just perhaps that someone is letting her personal feeling interfere with her leadership."

"My only feeling is that I don't wanna give the most important part to someone who can't even manage to stay in school," Paris clarified.

"I'm just gonna say one thing: fifty percent of our final grade," Louise reminded her.

Tristan decided to butt in.  "Is there gonna be any scratching involved, or is this just a verbal thing?"

Paris ignored his comment and turned to Rory.  "What do you think about this?"

Tristan leered at her and Rory turned her back on him.  "Well, how are you at speaking in front of a lot of people?" she asked Brad.

"I tend to throw up," Brad replied nervously.

"Fine," Paris finally conceded. "But I swear, you flake on this and you'll pray you get suspended," she added through the sound of Tristan's beeper.

Tristan looked down at his beeper.  Duncan needed him.  "I gotta run. Are we done here?" he asked, getting up from the table.

"Rehearsal, tomorrow night," Paris said, stepping in front of him.

Tristan pushed past her and headed out into the hallway.  The last thing he heard coming from the cafeteria was Louise's voice.

"Good.  So now Brad can be Friar Tuck and I can be Juliet," he heard her say.

Tristan stopped in his tracks and looked at the ceiling.  Oh God no.  He looked at the beeper at his waist and realized he had more important things to do than worry about who was going to play Juliet to his Romeo.

*          *          *

"Okay that dance studio should be around here somewhere," Louise muttered, trying to see through the fogged windshield of her car.

Tristan sighed and banged his head against the side on the window.  He so did not want to go to this stupid rehearsal.  He'd found out that afternoon that Rory was Juliet and, seeing how they had the death scene, there would be a kiss involved.  That was the reason he didn't want to go.  He'd be there, kissing her and she would just lie there, pretending to be dead all the while thinking of how much she hated him.

"Ta da," Louise said, parking her car in front of the studio.  "Told you I'd find it."

Tristan climbed out of the car and stretched his legs.  He did not feel like seeing Rory just yet.  He felt daring.  He looked around and spotted a store called Doose's Market.  He smiled.  Tristan had found out from his many sources that Rory's bagboy boyfriend worked there.

"Hey," he said to Madeline as she passed him.  "I'm just going over to the market."

"Why?" she asked clueless.

Tristan rolled her eyes.  "I need cigarettes," he replied.

Louise merely shrugged.  "Just don't take too long," she said.  She rolled her eyes.  "You know Paris."  She looked past Tristan and glared at Brad who was still sitting in her car.  "Hey," she snapped.  "Will you get out already?  I just had the upholstery sterilized."

Tristan headed across the street and around the corner, entering the market.  He looked around in distaste at the sight around him.  It was small.  About the size of the kitchen at home.

He walked around, trying to find out if Dean was working that night.  When he finally spotted him, crouching down near the floor, Tristan's lips curved into a smirk.

"Excuse me, stock boy," he said, walking into the aisle.  "Could you tell me where I could find the shortening?"

Dean straightened up.  Tristan had to suppress a laugh when he saw the tacky apron Dean was wearing.

"Now that is a fine looking apron.  I mean it, I mean, really sensational," Tristan said mockingly.

"What are you doing here?" Dean demanded.

Tristan got a serious look on his face.  "Well, to be honest, there's something I wanted to ask you."  He reached into the shelf behind Dean and pulled out two bags of flour.  "In your professional opinion, which one of these would make my cakes fluffier?"

Dean shook his head.  "You drove all the way out here just to be a jerk.  There aren't enough people who can't stand you in Hartford?"

"Oh no," Tristan said.  "I'm here for Rory."

"What?" Dean asked.

Tristan smirked.  "Yeah the play.  You know, Romeo and Juliet," he said.

"What about it?"

Tristan's smirk widened.  "I'm Romeo, and she's Juliet," he added, gesturing the bag of flour towards Dean.  "Hey, come on, she must've told you."  He paused.  "She did tell you, didn't she?"

"Look, I think you better leave," Dean said.

Tristan dropped one bag of flour onto the ground.  The packet split open and the contents spilled onto the floor.  "Oops!  God I am so sorry.  I am such a klutz."  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bundle of cash.  "Here, let me.  This should cover it."  He dropped the bills onto the ground, a smirk on his face.

"You know what," Dean said forcefully.  "I hope for Rory's sake that you got an understudy."

Tristan was about to respond when Rory flew in through the door and ran up to them.

"Dean, hi," she said.

"Rory, what is he doing here?"

"I need to talk to you."

"I got something to settle with this guy," Dean said, glaring at Tristan.

"Outside, please," Rory said, pushing him towards the door.

Tristan watched in amusement as Rory dragged Dean outside.  When they were no longer in sight, his smile faded.  He sighed deeply as he looked around the market.

He frowned as he saw the shadows of Rory and Dean move closer together and then pull apart.  Tristan sighed again and looked around cautiously.  When he was sure no one was around, he reached over the counter and grabbed a packet of cigarettes.  He'd just shoved them into his pocket when he heard Rory come up behind him.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked, frowning suspiciously at him.

Tristan shrugged giving no response.

"Well, don't you think we should go?" Rory continued.

"Oh yeah?" he asked smirking.  "I hear there's an empty closet available in the store room."

Rory rolled her eyes and shoved past him.  With a reluctant sigh, he followed.

*          *          *

"Excuse me Tristan, can I talk to you for a second?"

Tristan looked away from his friends and turned around to face Rory.  "I'll meet you guys later, okay?" he told them.  He turned back around.  "I'm all yours."

"I need to talk to you about something serious."

Tristan turned to his locker and quickly spun the combination.  "Serious, huh?  I'm intrigued."

"Dean's coming to rehearsal tonight," she informed him.

"Wow, are you sure they can spare him?  I mean, what if there's a run on baked beans?" Tristan said sarcastically.

"Could you shut up for five seconds, please?" Rory asked.  Tristan raised his hands in mock defeat, urging her to continue.  "Thank you.  Look, as I said, Dean is coming to rehearsal tonight, and I'd like to ask you to promise that you won't say anything to him about what happened."

Tristan looked confused.  "What happened?" he repeated.

"At the party?" Rory reminded him.

"At the party?" Tristan echoed.

Rory frowned.  "Tristan!" she exclaimed in annoyance.  "You and me, at Madeline's party?  You had just been kicked to the curb by Summer, and I found you sulking on a piano bench, and I sat down, we talked, and then… we kissed."

Tristan scratched his head, pretending he had no idea what she was talking about.  "That was you?"

"You know what, forget it."  She pushed past him and started to walk away.

Tristan slammed his locker shut and walked after her.  "Hey, Rory."

Rory stopped and turned around.  "There is no point in talking to you.  I knew that, yet I tried.  Won't happen again."

"You don't want me to tell Dean that we kissed," Tristan said.

"By George, I think he's got it," Rory mumbled.

Tristan shrugged.  "Okay, if that's what you want," he said.  "Although, he's gonna find out anyway."

"What?"

"Well, come on, you know that when we kiss on stage, it's gonna be pretty obvious that it's not the first time."  He smirked.  "I'm a good actor, but I can't hide that kind of passion."

"Look, things are really good for me and Dean right now, and I don't want anything to mess that up," she said.  "Especially not something that meant nothing at all to me and I wished had never happened in the first place."

A hurt look flashed on Tristan's face but that disappeared quickly.  "So things are going good for you too, huh?"

"Yeah, they are."

"Good.  That's good."  Tristan headed back to his locker and threw his books back in.

Rory followed him.  "So what do you think?  You just took those out."

Tristan shrugged.  "Well, I changed my mind."

"Are you all right?" Rory asked in concern.

"Yeah, I think somehow I'll recover from the great romance between you and the Beave," Tristan replied.

"A lot of stuff's been going on with you lately, huh?" Rory asked.

"Meaning?"

"Just, you know, the car thing, the suspension thing, a lot of drama," Rory explained.

"Well, I get bored easily."

"Just doesn't really seem like you," Rory continued, shrugging.

Tristan gave her a slight glare.  "And you know me now?"

"I know you don't get suspended for pulling off stupid pranks," Rory said.

"I pulled stuff like that before I knew Duncan and Bowman, all right?" Tristan said defensively.  The way she said it ticked him off.  Like she was implying he was giving in to peer pressure or something.

"Well, if you did, you didn't get caught.  You're getting caught a lot," she pointed out.

Tristan frowned.  "Your point being?"

She shrugged.  "Maybe Duncan and Bowman aren't the best people to be hanging out with.  They're not as smart as you Tristan, they don't have what you have going for you. They…"

Tristan interrupted.  "You know, I'm gonna have to bail before we get to the whole hugging part."  He was halfway down the hall when he turned back around again.  "And ask your boyfriend to remind me when it's coupon day, okay?"

He walked away leaving a very concerned Rory behind him.

*          *          *

"Here's to my love."  Tristan picked up the plastic container Paris had set down for him and pretended to drink.  "Oh true apothecary, thy drugs are quick… line?"

Paris groaned in frustration.  The group had been in Patty's for about an hour now, and they had still to get the scene right.  "Thus with a kiss I die.  How hard is that to remember?"

"Thus with a kiss I die," Tristan repeated.  "Right.  And then I kiss her, right?" he added, smirking at Dean.

"Yes.  You say 'Thus with a kiss, I die.'  Then you kiss her and die."  Paris noticed Tristan's smirk.  "Why are you smiling?  The performance is tomorrow!"

Tristan moved his gaze away from Dean and back onto Paris.  "Wait, tomorrow?  Oh my God. I totally missed it the first 47 times you said it."

"I warned you," Paris raged.  "I am not going to fail this because of you.  I will replace you with Brad in a second."

Brad looked nervous.  "Oh dear God, no," he whimpered.

"Can we just get through the scene?" Rory asked, finally opening her eyes.

"Fine," Paris said.  "But yell out line one more time and you're out."  She turned to Brad.  "Start memorizing!"

Tristan turned back to Rory.  "Oh true apothecary, thy drugs are quick.  Thus with a kiss, I die."  He leaned over Rory's still form and then turned his head to look at Dean.  Tristan leaned back suddenly, frustrating everyone in the room.

"What?" Paris asked.

"Well, it's just, with this being our last kiss and all, it makes me think about our first kiss."  Tristan turned his head to look at Rory.  "You know, at the party."

Rory sat up in panic.  "What?"

"Lie down, you're dead," Paris said to her.

Louise let her head roll back.  "We all are," she muttered.

"You remember the kiss.  In Act 1 at the Capulet's masked party?" Tristan questioned.

"What about it?" Paris demanded.

"Well, I was just trying to think of something that would make this kiss as special as that one," Tristan said.

"Tristan," Rory started to say.

Tristan gave Rory a look.  "I thought she could cry."

"What?" Rory said again.

"She's dead," Paris pointed out annoyed.  "You're dead, lie down."

"Yeah," Tristan agreed.  "But that's the beauty of it.  No one would expect her to cry."

Dean finally spoke.  "I would."

"You know, funny you should say that…" Tristan started to say.

"I need to take five," Rory said, getting up off the hard, metal bench.

Paris nodded.  "You know what?  Let's all take five.  That way you can all cancel whatever plans you had tonight because we are staying here until we get this right."

Tristan watched as Rory talked to Dean, trying to convince him to leave.  Dean finally cast an angry look in his direction, kissed his girlfriend and walked away.  Tristan smirked and walked over to Rory.

"Now I noticed you didn't cry when you kissed him.  I'm starting to feel a little insecure," he greeted her.

Rory glared at him.  "What is wrong with you?"

"Whoa, I think I liked you better comatose."

"I thought you weren't going to say anything," Rory snapped at him.

Tristan looked around.  "Did I say that?" he asked innocently.

"You make it impossible for anyone to be nice to you.  No wonder you had to join our group.  Anyone who's actually suffered through the experience of going out with you would absolutely know better," Rory spat at him.

Tristan's beeper suddenly interrupted their conversation.  "Gee, I really wish we could continue your analysis on how pathetic I am.  Unfortunately, I have to meet some friends."  He turned his back on her, grabbed his coat and walked out the door.

"Where are you going?  Where is he going?  We're not finished!  Hey, I'm the director here!  Tristan!" he heard Paris yell after him.

He ignored her cries and headed down to his car.  Tristan knew what that page was for.  Duncan, Bowman and himself had _had_ this prank prepared for at least a week.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the packet of cigarettes he had nicked the other night from Doose's Market.  Lighting it quickly, he let out a breath of air, feeling his problems drifting away with the smoky trail that left his lips.


	11. Say Goodbye

**Author's Note:** Hey it's the last chapter of the show series.  The chapter after this will be totally original.  About time, huh?  Anyways, please review.

*          *          *

Tristan sat perfectly still as he watched his father pace angrily in front of him.

"Tristan," his father said finally.  "I am extremely disappointed in you.  I thought I made it perfectly clear that you were no longer to be associated with Duncan and Bowman."

His son said nothing.

"Now," Mr DuGrey went on.  "Since the crime was only an attempted robbery the police is letting me handle it.  I have spoken with your grandfather and we both agreed that the best thing to do was to send you away."

Tristan finally gave a reaction.  His mouth dropped open and he stared at his father.  "What?" he choked out.

His father looked at him coldly.  "You are being sent away.  To Wellington Preparatory in North Carolina."

"Wellington Prep?" Tristan repeated in horror.  "Military school?"  His father had mentioned Wellington several times over the summer.  He had made various threats about sending Tristan there if he put one more toe out of line.  Tristan thought he had been kidding.  _Well look who's laughing now_, he thought wryly.

"I've already had you enrolled," his father went on.  "I informed Headmaster Charleston that you were leaving and Margarita has packed your bags.  Your flight leaves in two hours."

Tristan snorted.  "You can't wait to get rid of me, can you?" he asked.

His father frowned.  "Tristan, I am sending you away so you can shape up," he said sternly.  "And I will not hear another word out of you about it."

"But, the Shakespeare Festival is on tonight," Tristan said in a lame attempt to stay longer in Hartford.

Mr DuGrey regarded his son coldly.  "We will make a stop at Chilton so you can explain your absence," he said finally.  "Now come."

*          *          *

Tristan was silent as the car drove along the streets of Hartford towards Chilton Prep.  When the driver had pulled up, in front of the building, Tristan took a deep breath and headed inside.

"Tristan," his father said.  "Five minutes."

He nodded and headed into the hall.  He was turning the corner when he ran into Paris and Rory.

"Brad transferred schools," was the first thing he heard out of Paris' mouth.  Paris glared at him as he approached.  "Where have you been?  You have to get dressed, we're on in ten minutes."

"Can't," Tristan replied, scratching his head.

"What?" she demanded.

"Actually, my dad had me pulled out of school. He-" Tristan cut himself off as Paris stormed away.  "And is she unhappy."

Rory gave him a concerned look.  "What do you mean he had you pulled out of school?  What happened?"

"Nothing.  Just ticked the old man off, that's all," he replied shrugging.

"By doing what?  Tristan, come on, tell me," Rory pressed.

Tristan gave in.  "I got in some trouble," he confessed.

"Trouble involving?"

"Involving Duncan and Bowman, and… Bowman's dad's safe," Tristan added.

Rory frowned.  "Oh no."

"I mean, Bowman had a key.  It was supposed to be no big deal.  And the crazy silent alarm kicked in," he went on.

"You broke into Bowman's dad's safe?" Rory asked, a disappointed look in her eyes.

"Yes."

"Stupid," she said.

Tristan hung his head.  "Yes," he said quietly.

"Well, okay, you can apologize and you can put back the money and you can explain that, I don't know, you were going through something," Rory suggested.

"I was, I was going through his safe," Tristan replied, an amused look on his face.

"Why would you do this?" she asked quietly.

Tristan shrugged.  "I don't know.  I guess that's something I can ponder at military school."

"Military school?" Rory repeated.

"The police are letting our parents handle it, and in my case that means military school in North Carolina," he explained.

"I don't know what to say."

Tristan leered at her.  "Well, I imagine you're overwhelmed with the relief in knowing that soon I will be gone."

"I'm so sorry," Rory said sincerely.

He shrugged again.  "Well, I'm a big boy. I can handle it."

"There's nothing you can…" Rory was cut off.

"Tristan, come on," Mr DuGrey called from down the hall.

He looked worriedly over his shoulder before turning back to Rory.  "I gotta go," he said.  Tristan paused before continuing.  "So, I might kiss you goodbye but, uh, your boyfriend's watching."

Rory bit her lip, unsure of what to say.

"Take care of yourself… Mary," he added, giving her a slight smirk.  The last thing he saw was the smile that lit up her face before he turned around and walked out of Chilton.

Taking a deep breath, Tristan slid into the car and watched as the cold, menacing school became smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared.

"Goodbye Rory."


	12. Reunited at Hartford

**Author's Tantrum:** Okay what is up with everybody telling me that I just wrote lines from the show.  Duh, people.  As I said before, Tristan is telling his daughter **exactly** what happened so I'm **not** changing anything!

**Author's Note:** Anyway, I've skipped a couple of years and now everyone's in college.  I know Rory wants to go to Harvard, but I read somewhere that she'll be going to Yale instead so I decided that school would be best for her in this story.  Oh and Tristan goes to Princeton.  Princeton's in New Jersey, right?  This chapter may be a bit boring but I had to explain all the stuff that happened between Tristan getting kicked into military school and college.

*          *          *

Tristan sighed as he glanced up at his home.  _'Back again,'_ he thought wryly.  He hadn't seen the place since his junior year at Chilton.  After military school, his parents had him enrolled at Princeton University.  He had spent the summer before college in Paris.  It was a nice change.  The mansion, however, hadn't changed.  He was going to be a college sophomore in September and the place hadn't changed for as long as he could remember.

Sighing again, he pushed the heavy, oak doors open and stepped in.  His mother was descending from the upstairs landing.  She smiled.  One of those sickeningly, sweet smiles that Imogen DuGrey was famous for.  "Tristan," she cooed once she reached him.  "I'm so glad you're back."  She wrapped him in a light hug.

Tristan smiled tightly and returned the hug stiffly.  "It's good to be back mother," he returned, lying through his teeth.

Imogen pulled away from him and straightened the collar of his shirt.  "Please, dear," she said.  "Try not to look so unkempt.  You are a DuGrey after all."  Turning away from him, she picked up the mail, which was sitting on the coffee table.  "Tristan, why don't you go to the club?" she suggested, shuffling through the envelopes.  "I'm sure some of your old friends from Chilton will be there.  Mind you, I think most of them have gone to the Bahamas or Europe, but in any case, have fun."

Tristan rolled his eyes.  He'd been there less than five minutes and already his mother was trying to throw him out of the house.  "Yes mother," he replied, his voice dripping with contempt.  Heading for the oak doors again, he cursed himself for not staying in New Jersey for the summer.

*          *          *

He had been here for at least two hours and Tristan quickly decided that he'd rather be studying for finals than be in Hartford.  He looked around him.  At least the club had changed its motif since he last saw it.  There seemed to be more grass.  Were more people taking up golf?

Suddenly a voice broke his train of thought.  A voice he hadn't heard in a long time.  "Is it just me or did you get taller since I last saw you?"

Tristan turned around.  Sparkling blue eyes with a hint of amusement in them met his gaze.  He smirked.  "I'm a growing boy.  I've had my share of vegetables, if you know what I mean, Mary."

She rolled her eyes.  "Most unfortunately, I do," she replied.  "And I would have thought that you'd have outgrown that nickname by now.  But apparently not."

"I'll continue to use that name until it's no longer suitable for you," Tristan said.  Pausing, he eyed her warily.  "Then again, maybe I will stop with the Mary gag.  A year at college, away from home, can turn a girl into a woman."

Rory glared at him.  "Thank you for your lewd innuendo, but unfortunately Sigmund Freud, you don't know as much about the opposite sex as you'd like to think."

"Is that right?" he asked, smirking.  "Then by all means, enlighten me."

"And why, pray tell, would I want to do that?" she shot back at him.

Tristan continued to smirk at her.  "You seem to be the one all-knowing about females," he replied.  "I'm obviously inferior to your knowledge on this topic."

"I was merely stating that girls don't need sex to mature," Rory snapped.

He smiled and straightened up.  "Are you talking from personal experience?" he asked, half-amused.  "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

"Yes," Rory replied evenly.  "In that outfit, you look like a pimp."

"Why, thank you."  He glanced at her.  She looked like she was in deep concentration.  That girl ran hot and cold on him so often, he didn't understand it.  First she was all cheery, and the next minute, she was frowning at thin air.  "Mind telling me what's up your ass?"

She glowered at him.  "No."

"Well, that was a productive discussion," Tristan commented, rolling his eyes.  "I'm glad we talked.  What are you doing here, anyway?  I didn't think you were the country club type."

"I'm not.  What are you doing here?  I would've thought you'd be in the Bahamas like the rest of your snotty friends."

He shrugged.  "Yeah, well, I figured Hartford needed my presence in it again.  I haven't been back since I got shipped off to North Carolina."

Rory didn't reply.

"So what are you doing here at the club?" Tristan smirked.  "Did you hear that Hartford's prodigal son had returned and came to see if you had any luck running into him?"  He went on.  "Because if that's the case, I'd say it's your lucky day Mary.  You just hit the jackpot."

She shot him a withering stare.  "I'm discussing my curriculum with my grandfather, actually.  He wants to compare the classes he took at Yale to what I'm taking at Yale."  Rory rolled her eyes.  It was obvious that spending the afternoon discussing classes with her grandfather was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Yale?" Tristan repeated.  "What happened to Harvard?"

Rory glanced at him.  "How did you know I wanted to go to Harvard?  I think the only other person that figured that out was Paris.  Not that I'm surprised.  It's not like anybody at Chilton paid attention to me."

He would never say it out loud, but quite a few people —guys mostly— gave Rory their attention.  She just never noticed it.  Tristan hated to admit it, but he was only one of many guys that had tried to hit on Rory.  "Oh I have my sources," he said, in reply to the Harvard question.

Rory hoisted herself up to sit on the balcony's railing where they had been talking.  She tilted her head back and groaned.  "I wanna get out of here."

Tristan ignored her statement and stared worriedly at the position she was sitting.  The balcony wasn't up very high, but the railing Rory was sitting on was pretty narrow.  If she fell, she could seriously hurt herself.  "Maybe you shouldn't sit there," Tristan suggested, trying to keep the uneasiness out of his voice.

"Aww," Rory cooed.  She grinned at him.  "You're worried about me.  Isn't that nice?  Don't worry Tristan; I can take care of myself."  

"Worried?" he scoffed, as if the idea was foreign to him.  "Please.  I just don't want any of your blood splattering my clothes if you should fall off and crack your head open."  Secretly, he was relieved.  She was right. She could take care of herself.  Besides, Rory had a pretty tight grip on the railing.  If she should start to slip, she could probably stop herself from falling.

Rory rolled her eyes.  "So how was military school?" she asked, removing her hands from the railing.  She reached back to tighten her ponytail.  "Did you have to clean your toilet with the toothbrushes you used, because that is just—"  She was cut off as she started to slip off the edge, about to fall backwards onto the path below.  "Whoa!"

Without thinking, Tristan reached out and grabbed her arms.  He pulled her towards him and she came tumbling forward, crashing into his chest headfirst.

"Ow!" she whimpered.  Rory looked up and found herself staring straight into his dark blue eyes.  Instinctively, she leant forward.  She could feel his hot breath on her face.  Her breathing had quickened and her heart was thumping so loudly, she was sure he could hear it.

Tristan knew what was coming.  He had realized how close they were standing and that his arm was still wrapped around her waist from when he brought her down from the railing.  He leaned forward, his lips just inches away from hers.


End file.
